What has been explained will dispose of another controversy which, with little judgment and less taste, has been connected with this marvellous history. It must not be made a question as between Romanist and Protestant, nor as between rival dogmatists, whether love had any meritorious part in her forgiveness, or whether, as afterwards stated, her faith' had saved' her. Undoubtedly, her faith had saved her. What she had heard from His lips, what she knew of Him, she had believed. She had believed in the good tidings of peace' which He had brought, in the love of God, and His Fatherhood of pity to the most sunken and needy; in Christ, as the Messenger of Reconciliation and Peace with God; in the Kingdom of Heaven which He had so suddenly and unexpectedly opened to her, from out of whose unfolded golden gates Heaven's light had fallen upon her, Heaven's voices had come to her. She had believed it all: the Father, the Son - Revealer, the Holy Ghost - Revealing. And it had saved her. When she came to that feast, and stood behind with humbled, loving gratefulness and reverence of heart-service, she was already saved. She needed not to be forgiven: she had been forgiven. And it was because she was forgiven that she bedewed His Feet with the summer-shower of her heart, and, quickly wiping away the flood with her tresses, continued kissing and anointing them. All this was the impulse of her heart, who, having come in heart, still came to Him, and learned of Him, and found rest to her soul. In that early springtide of her new-born life, it seemed that, as on Aaron's rod, leaf, bud, and flower were all together in tangled confusion of rich forthbursting. She had not yet reached order and clearness; perhaps, in the fulness of her feelings, knew not how great were her blessings, and felt not yet that conscious rest which grows out of faith in the forgiveness which it obtains.
And this was now the final gift of Jesus to her. As formerly for the first time He had turned so now for the first time He spoke to her - and once more with tenderest delicacy. Thy sins have been forgiven' [2727] - not, are forgiven, and not now - the many.' Nor does He now heed the murmuring thoughts of those around, who cannot understand Who this is that forgiveth sins also. But to her, and truly, though not literally, to them also, and to us, He said in explanation and application of it all: Thy faith has saved thee: go into peace.' [2728] Our logical dogmatics would have had it: go in peace;' more truly He, into peace.' [2729] And so she, the first who had come to Him for spiritual healing the, first of an unnumbered host, went out into the better light, into peace of heart, peace of faith, peace of rest, and into the eternal peace of the Kingdom of Heaven, and of the Heaven of the kingdom hereafter and for ever. __________________________________________________________________
[2687] This is specially characteristic of the Gospel by St. Luke.
[2688] See note in previous chapter.
[2689] St. Matt. xi. 20-30.
[2690] St. Luke x. 13-22.
[2691] St. Matt. xi. 16-19
[2692] St. Matt. xi. 28-30.
[2693] Made the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven' ({hebrew}) equal to the yoke of the Law' ({hebrew}) or to that of the commandments' ({hebrew}).
[2694] St. Luke vii. 36.
[2695] The untenableness of this strange hypothesis has been shown in almost all commentaries. There is not a tittle of evidence for it.
[2696] St. Matt. xxvi. 6&c. and parallels.
[2697] The objections of Keim, though bulking largely when heaped together by him, seem not only unfair, but, when examined one by one, are seen to be groundless.
[2698] St. Luke vii. 40
[2699] Ber. vi. 6 makes the following curious distinction: if they sit at the table, each says the grace' for himself; if they lie down' to table, one says it in the name of all. If wine is handed them during dinner, each says the grace' over it for himself; if after dinner, one says it for all.